～てくる

How to form it

• Verb (て-form) + くる / きた
• Movement: 買ってくる, 持ってくる
• Change: 暗くなってくる, 増えてくる
• Past: ～てきた (has come to ~)

Register: Neutral

Explanation

Shows going somewhere to do something and returning, or a change that begins and moves toward the present.

For change, ～てきた often means that a change has been happening up to now. It often follows verbs of change (なる, 増える).

Examples

1. ちょっとコンビニでお茶を買ってくる。

   ちょっとコンビニでおちゃをかってくる。

   I'll go and buy some tea at the convenience store.

2. だんだん寒くなってくる季節です。

   だんだんさむくなってくるきせつです。

   It is the season when it gradually gets colder.

3. 分かってくると、日本語は楽しくなる。

   わかってくると、にほんごはたのしくなる。

   Once you start to understand, Japanese becomes fun.

Compare with

• ～ていく: ～ていく describes movement away or a change continuing from now.

Common mistakes

• Confusing ～てくる and ～ていく: ～てくる commonly describes a change developing toward the present, ～ていく a change continuing from the present into the future (future-oriented uses of ～てくる are possible in context).
• Saying 行ってくる when the speaker will not return.